In the bustling city of San Francisco, a pressing concern is unfolding as air traffic controllers brace for a missed paycheck this Tuesday due to the ongoing government shutdown. This development is sowing seeds of anxiety among these essential workers, who are already stretched thin as they manage the safe passage of thousands of flights daily.
Across the nation, passengers are experiencing more frequent flight delays. The root of this issue lies in an increasing number of controllers calling out sick, compounded by an existing shortage within the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that predates the shutdown.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Nick Daniels, the president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, have both sounded alarms regarding the intense pressure controllers are currently under. They warn that unless the shutdown resolves soon, these challenges will exacerbate further.
The financial strain on controllers goes beyond the workplace. Daniels has highlighted the personal struggles faced by these individuals, who are not only worried about covering basic expenses like mortgages and groceries but are also troubled by the inability to afford essential medications for their children. Duffy recounted a heartbreaking story from a controller who had to deny his daughter’s opportunity to join a traveling volleyball team because the shutdown rendered him financially incapable of covering the costs.
“Air traffic controllers need to maintain complete focus at all times,” said Daniels at a news conference held at LaGuardia Airport in New York, where he stood alongside Duffy. He shared poignant anecdotes of controllers reaching out with stories of financial desperation, including one who feared for his daughter’s life if her medication ran out due to dwindling funds.
Further Reading: Over the weekend, air traffic control staffing issues reached critical levels, sparking concerns about potential disruptions.
The FAA restricts the number of flights landing and taking off at an airport anytime there is a shortage of controllers to ensure safety. Most of the time that has meant delays – sometimes hours long – at airports like New Jersey’s Newark Liberty International Airport or Burbank airport in California. But over the weekend, Los Angeles International Airport actually had to stop all flights for nearly two hours.
Controllers are planning to assemble outside at least 17 airports nationwide Tuesday to hand out leaflets urging an end to the shutdown as soon as possible. Worrying about how to pay their bills is driving some to take second jobs to make ends meet.
The number of controllers calling in sick has increased during the shutdown both because of their frustration with the situation and because controllers need the time off to work second jobs instead of continuing to work six days a week like many of them routinely do. Duffy has said that controllers could be fired if they abuse their sick time, but the vast majority of them have continued to show up for work every day.
Air traffic controller Joe Segretto, who works at a regional radar facility that directs planes in and out of airports in the New York area, said morale is suffering as controllers worry more about money.
“The pressure is real,” Segretto said. “We have people trying to keep these airplanes safe. We have trainees – that are trying to learn a new job that is very fast-paced, very stressful, very complex – now having to worry about how they’re going to pay bills.”
Duffy said the shutdown is also making it harder for the government to reduce the longstanding shortage of about 3,000 controllers. He said that some students have dropped out of the air traffic controller academy in Oklahoma City, and younger controllers who are still training to do the job might abandon the career because they can’t afford to go without pay.
“This shutdown is making it harder for me to accomplish those goals,” Duffy said.
The longer the shutdown continues, pressure will continue to build on Congress to reach an agreement to reopen the government. During the 35-day shutdown in President Donald Trump’s first term the disruptions to flights across the country contributed to the end of that disruption. But so far, Democrats and Republicans have shown little sign of reaching a deal to fund the government.
.
